Water Cycle Rain Garden
The purpose of this lesson plan is to facilitate student exploration of the water cycle with a focus on how the sun and gravity impact the cycle. Students will also connect their knowledge of the water cycle to rain gardens and the impact they can have on communities by building a prototype of a rain garden.
Overview
Students trace how water moves through the water cycle, with attention to the roles of the sun and gravity, and apply it to rain gardens. They write or draw about experiences with water, list where water is found, and compare their ideas with a USGS water cycle diagram. Five labs cover condensation, evaporation, transpiration, rain formation, and water movement through materials. Students then act out a water droplet's path in a station game with dice and design and test a rain garden prototype. They finish by drawing a diagram of the water cycle in their community that includes a rain garden, with an optional quiz. Engage runs 30 minutes, the five Explore labs 30 to 90 minutes each, Explain 40-60 minutes, Elaborate two 40-minute periods, and Evaluate 30 minutes.
Lesson Objectives
- Identify different forms of water on earth in the form of liquid, solid, and gas
- Explain how water moves through the water cycle with an emphasis on the roles of the sun and
- Gravity
- Describe the benefits of rain gardens
- Create and optimize a prototype of a rain garden
- Evaluate the relative timing of movement through various locations in the water cycle
Standards
NGSS · 11
- MS-LS1-6Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.
- MS-LS2-3Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics: Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
- MS-ESS2-4Earth’s Systems: Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
- MS-ESS2-6Earth’s Systems : Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
- MS-ESS3-1Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth’s mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.
- MS-ESS3-3Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
- MS-PS1-4Develop a model that predicts and describes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
- MS-ETS1-1Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
- MS-ETS1-2Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- MS-ETS1-3Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
- MS-ETS1-4Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.